The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Novelization - Part I
by Agent Ghost-Writer 000
Summary: My own hand at a novelization of one of the greatest games ever, "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time." First part will cover Link as a child. Second part will start after the seven year time skip. Rated T to be on the safe side. Pairings undecided.
1. Chapter 1 - The Boy Without a Fairy

**Yo!**

**Thanks for viewing my latest fanfic. Possibly the most influential video game in my life has been "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time." The story, the music, the characters, the fun mini-games and gameplay just had a profound impact on me. In fact, the first fanfiction story I ever read was one from The Legend of Zelda in an AU of OOT. I've seen a number of stories go through a novelization of some kind for OOT, but few seemed to tell the story as close to the gameplay as possible, and so I decided to take a shot at it.**

**This is expecting to be a long story, and I intend to tell the story almost as if doing a walkthrough of the game itself. However, there will be occasional changes here and there to make it as realistic as possible, of which the game could only do so much like characters repeating the same thing when you talk to them, Link never shown eating or sleeping during his adventure, and so forth.**

**And I won't be describing how he gets literally every single item in the game, like every single golden skulltula, treasure chest, and so forth. That would just take WAAAAY too long to describe and would detract from the story as well. If there is a part of the game that required backtracking of some kind, I'll do my best to shorten it enough so as to just highlight the important parts to keep the story interesting. Otherwise, I would just mention it in like a passing reference to save time.**

**Finally, Link will not be entirely silent in this story like in the game, as I don't think keeping him mute would be a good way to portray him or tell the story, but he won't be an annoying chatterbox either (like a certain fairy we all know).**

**Below is my usual guidance regarding how the text works in my stories:**

**.**

This is a sentence. - Narration. No character speaking or thinking.

"This is a sentence." - Character speaking out loud.

'This is a sentence.' - Character speaking in his/her head.

This _is _a sentence. - Emphasis placed on the italic word in the normal course of the narration or the character speaking or thinking.

This IS a sentence. - Same as with the single italic, just a variation of expressing the emphasis.

_This is a sentence. - _All italics means either the event is happening in a dream or flashback (of which I would give a quick note prior saying a dream or flashback is occurring) or is being narrated by a character in the story.

_This _is _a sentence_. - During a dream, flashback, or character narration, emphasis placed in the normal text word in the normal course of the narration or the character speaking or thinking.

**.**

**I do not own The Legend of Zelda.**

**With the disclaimer out of the way, let's get on with the walkthrough!...I mean story!**

* * *

**Chapter 1 – The Boy without a Fairy**

_'__In the vast, deep forest of Hyrule..._

_Long have I served as the guardian spirit..._

_I am known as the Deku Tree..._

_._

_The children of the forest, the Kokiri, live here with me._

_Each Kokiri has his or her own guardian fairy._

_However, there is one boy who does not have a fairy..._

_._

The boy in question was currently sleeping in a bed carved from wood. In fact, he lived inside a tree where everything inside was carved from within. The bed, the chairs, the table. Everything. He was dressed in a green tunic and shorts with brown boots and a floppy green hat. He had golden blonde hair with a part of it that stuck out at the front of his cap and had very deep blue eyes. However, he was having anything but a peaceful rest as he shivered in his sleep…

* * *

_(Dream)_

_The boy found himself in front of a large stone wall with a drawbridge that was currently up. It was night with storm clouds brewing overhead. Lightning and thunder echoed ominously in the night. He looked to the side and saw a fairy flying next to him emanating a bright blue-white glow, a fact that inwardly surprised him as he didn't have a fairy as of yet._

_Suddenly, t__he drawbridge slowly started coming down, the gears making a loud, ominous clanking sound before landing with a loud thump. __Almost immediately, a white horse appeared from the other side, galloping at high speed. __The boy watched the horse pass by him, and he could see two people on the horse he had never seen before. __One was had a mask over the lower part of the face and had gray/silver hair tied in a small ponytail. __The other was the one he mainly looked at, who sat just in front of the masked figure—a girl wearing an ornate dress covered with a fabric he was unfamiliar with. The two locked eyes and continued looking at each other even as the horse continued galloping on. __What he noticed most was the very worried look in her eyes._

_He was wondering what it was that was worrying her, when suddenly he heard a sound behind him and turned around. To his horror, he saw a giant, black armored horse with an equally giant, armored man in dark armor. The horse let out a neigh, jumping up slightly as its rider pulled on the reins. The rider__ had short, flaming red-orange hair with dark, tanned skin that almost looked green in color and burning yellow eyes. Seeing him, h__e turned in the boy's direction before raising a hand towards him, the boy frozen in absolute terror with a wide, fearful expression at what he was seeing…_

* * *

_(End Dream)_

"Navi...Navi, where art thou? Come hither..." a deep voice shouted.

What looked like a glowing blue-white ball with butterfly wings flew in front of a massive tree. From a distance, that is all one could make out of the fairy. Closer inspection would reveal a small, slender woman roughly six inches tall wearing a sleeveless dress reaching just above her knees with lovely hair reaching her neck.

As for the tree, it was massive in size, both in length and height. But the most curious part was that the bark on the main part of the tree resembled an old but wizened face on it. Part of the bark resembled eyebrows and what looked to be closed eyes. Below that a part of the bark stood out resembling a nose, and a couple parts below that resembled that of a mustache, completing its wizened look. Despite not having a movable mouth, it was still able to speak normally.

"Oh, Navi the fairy...Listen to my words, the words of the Deku Tree...Dost thou sense it?

"The climate of evil descending upon this realm...Malevolent forces even now are mustering to attack our land of Hyrule...For so long, the Kokiri Forest, the source of life, has stood as a barrier, deterring outsiders and maintaining the order of the world...

"But...before this tremendous evil power, even my power is as nothing...It seems the time has come for the boy without a fairy to begin his journey...The youth whose destiny it is to lead Hyrule to the path of justice and truth...

"Navi...go now! Find our young friend and guide him to me...I do not have much time left. Fly, Navi, fly! The fate of the forest, nay, the world, depends upon thee!"

With an affirmative nod, Navi quickly took off towards the village, weaving her way through the zig-zag path and flew under the legs of a Kokiri in the process, who gave an indignant 'Hey!' at her. She then flew by a girl sitting on the roof of the Kokiri shop, giving a polite "Hello" to her before continuing on. She looked around further, but wasn't sure where the boy in question was currently at and stopped near a boy struggling to pull some rocks from the ground. "Hey!" she yelled to him, trying to ask for help, only to get no reply.

Seeing this, Navi pressed on, flying and looking around before she finally spotted the home where she knew he lived. She flew top speed towards it…and consequently flew head first into a wooden fence, causing her to yelp in pain. Shaking off the pain, she resumed her flight—this time flying _through _the fence—and then inside the home.

* * *

_(Inside Link's House)_

She soon spotted the boy in question, sleeping in his bed on his stomach. "Hello, Link! Wake up! The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you! Link, get up!"

Link merely moaned in response, but also shivered slightly as well. Navi, however, interpreted it as simply not wanting to get out of bed. "Hey! C'mon! Can Hyrule's destiny really depend on such a lazy boy?" she cried while fluttering around him, hoping her glow and incessant chattering would wake him.

She was not disappointed as Link slowly got up. Unknown to her, Link had just abruptly woke himself up from his nightmare and shivered slightly at what he had seen. Upon hearing another voice, however, Link became more aware of his surroundings and then yawned and stretched a bit before giving a rather cute sigh of content after stretching. His eyes widened a bit at what he saw before him.

A fairy? In his home? With no other Kokiri accompanying her? Could it be that maybe…? Curious, and a little excited, he then moved into a sitting position on his bed facing Navi. And as he thought about it, she also looked like the fairy from his dream.

"You finally woke up!" she shouted, causing Link to give a rather bashful smile at that. He had often been notorious for sleeping long hours amongst the Kokiri. "I'm Navi the fairy! The Great Deku Tree asked me to be your partner from now on! Nice to meet you!"

Now _this _got Link's attention as his eyes widened in surprise, blinking a bit as well before a large smile slowly forms on his lips. "R-Really?" he asked rather shyly. "Y-You're going to be my fairy?"

"That's right!"

Link had to fight back tears from forming upon hearing this. He had always been picked on and called names by some fellow Kokiri, particularly the self-proclaimed boss of the Kokiri, Mido. Always being called names like "wimp," "that boy," "_him_," and most hurting of them, "Fairy-less" and "No Fairy." Maybe now they'll accept him and won't call him names anymore…and play games together more…and he was getting his fairy on his birthday! This is easily the best birthday present ever, a bright smile adorning his face.

His thoughts were interrupted as Navi spoke up again. "The Great Deku Tree has summoned you! So let's get going right now!"

Link was brought out of his reverie upon hearing that, eyes widened slightly. It wasn't often one was summoned by the Great Deku Tree himself. And every time one was summoned, it was usually very important. Maybe it had something to do with his fairy? Maybe like an initiation of some kind? Either way, he gave a nod to Navi before heading out the door, giving another glance and smile at his new fairy friend along the way.

* * *

_(Kokiri Village)_

Link's house was unique in that it wasn't on ground level like most other Kokiri. It was actually carved a story up and accessed via ladder. Just as he reached the ladder, he saw someone running up to his house and gave a wave when she got close enough. The girl in question looked about Link's age wearing a similar green tunic but also wore a long-sleeve shirt underneath that was a darker green. Instead of wearing brown boots, they were yet a different shade of green. Finally her hair was…as one might have guessed, of yet another green color with a headband accessory in her hair that was (surprise surprise) also a shade of green. The only thing not green about her other than her skin was her eyes, which were a vibrant blue like Link's.

"Yahoo! Hi, Link!" she shouted and waved to him. Link smiled at her before descending the ladder. Boy was she gonna be surprised at the news, he thought, smiling to himself. Sure enough, as she saw Link descend, she also saw the fairy fluttering around with him. "Wow! A fairy! Finally, a fairy came to you, Link!"

He gave a small laugh and nodded, a slightly bashful look adorned his face but was nonetheless proud.

Her friend finally had a fairy! She gave a cheerful laugh and placed her hands on her cheeks to cover the blush starting to form on her face. "Wow! That's great news! I'm so happy for you! Now you're a true Kokiri, Link!" she exclaimed to Link, who smiled again at that before she continued speaking.

"Is that right?" Saria asked, getting Link's attention again. "The Great Deku Tree summoned you?"

"Mm, hm!" he nodded.

"It's quite an honor to talk to the Great Deku Tree." For him to summon anyone was indeed a rare thing. It could be several weeks or months before anyone was summoned to see him. "I'll wait for you here. Get going! Go see the Great Deku Tree!" she cheerfully said to Link, who nodded and took off. As he ran towards the grove the Great Deku Tree resided, he heard Saria shout to him. "Oh, and Happy Birthday, Link! I have a present when you get back!"

That put a smile on Link's face as he looked back at her. A fairy for his birthday and now a present from Saria? This day just keeps getting better and better! When he approached the path leading to him, he suddenly faced a familiar obstacle…and a familiar not-so-friendly face holding an arm out in a "halt" gesture. However, Link was planning on seeing him anyway now that he had his fairy. This will work out just fine, he thought. Sure enough, he started to insult him upon seeing Link.

"Hey you! 'Mr. No Fairy!' What's your business with the Great Deku Tree? Without a fairy, you're not even a real man!" he taunted him. This was Mido, the self-proclaimed boss of the Kokiri. He was slightly taller than Link by an inch or two with darker blonde, almost orange hair but was shorter, with a tuft of hair sticking out from the center of his floppy cap. His green tunic had no sleeves and he wore a similar no-sleeve shirt underneath of a light-green color. His boots were olive green and he had a couple circle marks on his cheeks. He was about to continue with the insults until he saw Link had a confident smirk on his face. That's odd. Usually Link flinched at him every time he called him that. So why wasn't he-

Suddenly he saw what was fluttering by Link that he hadn't paid attention to previously. "What?! You've got a fairy?!" he exclaimed, eyes widened in shock.

Link's smirk widened at that and nodded, briefly looking at his new fairy. "That's right!" she chirped cheerfully. "Starting today, I am his new fairy," she proudly proclaimed. Maybe now Mido will stop being so mean to him and stop calling him names. "_And_ he's been summoned by the Great Deku Tree himself."

"Say what?" Mido replied. "The Great Deku Tree _actually_ summoned you? Whaaaaaaat?!" He shouted, getting the attention of some nearby Kokiri in the process. He paid them no mind as he continued ranting, "Why would he summon _you_ and not the great Mido? This isn't funny!" he stated upon seeing Link and his fairy chuckling at him. He always laughed at other Kokiri's misfortunes, so they felt a bit pleased seeing a little misfortune on him. He then looked away to the side and started tapping his foot while putting his hands on his waist in disgust, clearly not happy at seeing his rival smiling at him. "I don't believe it! You aren't even fully equipped yet!"

That caused Link to pause and look at him with confusion. Not even fully equipped yet? What was that supposed to mean? Seeing Link's confused look, Mido continued. "How do you think you're going to help the Great Deku Tree without both a sword and shield ready?"

Link frowned at that. Since when did one need a sword and shield to see him?

Mido then gave a frown of his own when he noticed Link was looking him over and obviously noting he didn't have said equipment on him either. The look on Link's face clearly said so. "Hmm. You're right, I don't have my equipment ready but…" They stared at each other for a few moments in silence as Mido thought about how to reply. Finally, he straightened up. "If you want to pass through here, you should at least equip a sword and shield! Sheesh!"

Link opened his mouth to protest, but Mido interrupted him before he could speak. "No! If you can bring a sword and shield with you, THEN I'll let you through. And that's final!" he exclaimed. "And not just a wooden sword either! I mean a real sword made of metal!" Link looked at Mido in shock. There was only one such sword in the forest…and only Mido knew where it was. And Link could tell he was not going to share that information…if that newly formed smirk on Mido's face was any indication. Nor will he budge on the matter, it looked like, either.

Frowning, Link turned around, wondering what to do next. _'Hmm...Maybe Saria can help,' _he though. With that in mind, he headed back towards her, hoping she had some idea that could help.

* * *

**A/N: You may have noticed much of the dialogue was word for word from the game. I intend to do that as much as possible so as to be as accurate with the game as I can and add my own dialogue for Link as necessary.**

**I just thought I'd add the birthday thing for Link even though that happened in The Wind Waker as opposed to Ocarina of Time. Many stories depict Link as 10 in OOT, but since the manual in OOT said Saria was 12, I figured to have Link be 12 as well.**

**So, mean old Mido is being the jerk that he is in preventing Link from seeing the Great Deku Tree, and now Link has to find a shield and sword, the latter of which only Mido knows where it's at (and yes, I know that's not how it was in the game but I thought the minor change would help express the kind of person Mido is). Just how will Link find it? Will Saria be able to help?**

**Find out next time!**

**For now, this is Agent Ghost-Writer 000 signing off.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Getting Equipped

**.**

This is a sentence. - Narration. No character speaking or thinking.

"This is a sentence." - Character speaking out loud.

'This is a sentence.' - Character speaking in his/her head.

This _is _a sentence. - Emphasis placed on the italic word in the normal course of the narration or the character speaking or thinking.

This IS a sentence. - Same as with the single italic, just a variation of expressing the emphasis.

_This is a sentence. - _All italics means either the event is happening in a dream or flashback (of which I would give a quick note prior saying a dream or flashback is occurring) or is being narrated by a character in the story.

_This _is _a sentence_. - During a dream, flashback, or character narration, emphasis placed in the normal text word in the normal course of the narration or the character speaking or thinking.

**.**

**I do not own The Legend of Zelda.**

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Getting Equipped**

Link went back to Saria and, as expected, was not happy upon hearing the news. "What?! Mido won't let you go to see the Great Deku Tree? Ohh…That bum!" She stated, putting her hands on her hips and frowning. She had hoped Mido would be more accepting now that Link had a fairy companion, but he appeared to still be stubborn and unaccepting. "I don't know why he's always so mean to everyone!" she fumed a little bit, before calming down. "What he said is true, though."

This caused Link to turn at her with confusion and a little surprise when she said that. Mido saying something true? That was unusual. Which part of what he said was true? "The forest…strange things have been happening lately…" Now that, Link didn't disagree with. One time a Deku Baba suddenly sprang to life by the training grounds where Kokiri commonly practice with wooden swords and shields. Link happened to be nearby and dove at another Kokiri girl to prevent her from being harmed by the Deku Baba's bite. Mido had a wooden sword on him and sliced the plant in two…and then tried to take credit for saving the girl Link had saved. In addition, it almost sounded as if the Wolfos's howls could be heard closer and closer as the weeks went by.

"You need to be ready for anything," Saria continues. "You'd better find a weapon! You can buy a shield at the shop, but there is only one metal sword hidden somewhere in the forest...and only Mido knows where it is," she added dejectedly. She then went into a thinking pose, trying to come up with something before an idea came to her. "Hmm…maybe Forenz at the training grounds knows? He's seen Mido with it once before."

That sounded like a good idea. With a nod, Link headed over to the training grounds in question. He saw one Kokiri practicing his backflips and another practicing his thrusts with a wooden sword. This he recognized as Forenz. "Hey, Forenz!" his fairy called to him.

Forenz turned to see who was calling him before seeing Link. "Hey, Link," he greeted politely. "Whoa, you have a fairy!? When did this happen!?" he asked upon noticing the fairy.

"Just this morning. I'm Navi! Pleased to meet you!" Navi stated.

"Hello, Navi. Nice to meet you." He then turned back to Link. "So, did I hear right? You were summoned to see the Great Deku Tree?" which Link nodded in reply.

"Yep," Navi replied, "but Mido won't let us through. Saying Link wasn't 'fully equipped yet' as he put it. He says we need to bring a sword and shield. But not just any sword…a sword made of metal, and there's only one sword like that in the forest, but we don't know where it is…only Mido knows and he won't tell. Saria said you saw him with it once. Do you know where it is?"

Forenz listened to Navi's explanation and wasn't surprised by Mido's actions. He always did try to make it harder for Link, and everyone else for that matter, but especially Link. "That's not surprising, him stating that. Just today he had told Saria he would pick the bushes in front of her house and then had another Kokiri pick it for him shortly afterwards," he replied. Link and Navi shared a look at each other at that. Yep, that sounded like Mido, alright. It's a wonder how he hasn't been ganged up by everyone and then "overthrow" his supposed leadership, if you could call it that. "As to the sword…hmm. Yeah, I have actually seen him with it once…but…"

Alright, a lead, Link thought. "But…what?" Navi asked.

"But…he said for me to keep it a secret…in a not-so-friendly way, like he usually does." Link frowned at that. That sounded like Mido as well. "Buuu-uut, I think I can let it slip this one time," he added, making Link perk up at him again. Maybe this will teach Mido to not be so mean, Forenz thought to himself. "Just make sure not to tell Mido or anyone else about it. Ok?"

Link nodded, prompting Forenz to nod in return before walking towards part of the wall of earth, beckoning Link to follow. As Link approached, Forenz then shoved some bushes aside against the wall, revealing a small tunnel. "Here, beyond this tunnel lies the Kokiri Sword...somewhere, anyways. I know there are some obstacles to watch out for, so be careful back there."

Link smiled at Forenz and gave him his thanks before crawling through the narrow tunnel. It wasn't terribly long, maybe 15 feet or so, and wasn't full of like jagged rock or pebbles or anything that would hurt his knees. As he reached the end, Link could hear strange sounds coming from the area. Like…large rocks rolling? Seeing a path branching left and right, he cautiously turned the corner to his left...

"Watch out!"

Link barely had time to register the warning from his fairy before diving back where he came from at what he saw, letting out a yelp in the process. As soon as he dove back, a massive brown, spherical boulder three times his height rolled by him. 'That was close,' he thought. After picking himself up, he looked at the direction the boulder went…only to no longer see it there. All he saw was a wall about fifty feet down from where he was. Wouldn't it have just hit that wall and stopped? He stepped out again, wondering what happened to it.

"Link! Watch out! Behind you!"

"Huh? Ahh!" He looked back after hearing his fairy friend shout to him again…and quickly dove back again at seeing another boulder heading right for him. 'Ugh, glad Mido isn't here to see this. He would probably laughing hysterically at this by now.'

He turned back from his position to see yet another boulder roll by. Not long after, another boulder rolled by. Then another. And another…and another?

"Hey, listen," Navi said to Link. "I don't think it's a never-ending set of boulders. Look where they're coming from." Link slowly peered to the right, and to his surprise, a boulder not only came from around the corner, but made a 90 degree turn his direction! He watched it pass by him, and as soon as it reached the wall, it made another 90 degree turn and continued on!

"It looks like this area is designed to run these rocks in such a way so they are constantly moving. How they move on their own, though, I don't know," Navi stated.

Link analyzed the situation, wondering how to get past this and find the sword before getting an idea. He counted the seconds as to the time between each boulder passed by him. Then as soon as a boulder passed, he started running behind it, finding himself surprised the boulder was actually faster than him. That wasn't good. That meant the boulder behind him would eventually catch up. Fortunately, when he made a right turn following the boulder, he saw a clearing when the boulder turned again. Taking a chance, he ran to this area, and to his relief, the boulder behind him turned away, following the other boulder.

In the process, he found a blue rupee in the clearing. 'Alright!' Link knew the Deku Shield cost 40 rupees, and he had 25 rupees saved already that he had found here and there over time. Mainly around various grass and flower fields, occasionally in a bush, under a rock, or in the water. Just 10 more to go! That shouldn't be too difficult.

Catching his breath, he waited for the boulder to pass again and followed after it like before. It wasn't long before the boulder turned again, and this time Link headed in the opposite direction, finding another clearing. And stopped in his tracks at what he saw.

In front of him was a large treasure chest atop a tree stump in a much larger clearing. "This must be it!" Navi cried. Link nodded in agreement before stepping towards the chest, anticipation rising as he approached it. He found it quite large, exactly as tall as him and roughly five feet long and three feet wide. He also saw there was a lock on it. Uh oh. Does that mean he needed a key? 'Well, maybe it's unlocked…however unlikely that might be,' he thought to himself.

To his surprise, it was indeed unlocked, solving that problem. He pushed open the lid of the treasure chest, and when he looked inside, he saw it. A sword rested in the center inside a sheath. Link had to physically jump over the edge of the chest and lean over to reach it, but he did so and then pushed himself back out, allowing him to take a closer look at it.

The sword was in a deep blue sheath with a brown tip at the end. He then slowly pulled the sword out of its sheath to look at the sword itself. The total length of the sword was roughly 20 inches from blade to hilt, about as long as his arm, with the blade being roughly 13-14 inches long and double-edged. The blade was within a brown hilt with two curved ends and contained a ruby embedded near the top of the hilt. All in all, it was a very beautifully designed sword. No wonder Mido didn't want anyone else to know where it was. Where the sword came from to begin with, though, was beyond him.

"Alright! You got the sword, Link!" Navi said to him. After admiring the blade, Link gently sheathed it and strapped the sword around him so he could draw it from behind his back. "Now you just need a Deku Shield! Do you have one by any chance already?" Navi asked, only for Link to shake his head no. "I see. Well, maybe cut down some bushes?" Navi suggested. "Often rupees can be found in bushes as well as thick patches of grass. Maybe look there?"

With that in mind, the two started to leave the vicinity. Link found that the area the sword was in wasn't quite as large as he thought and quickly found the tunnel he came in. "Hey, you found it?" Forenz asked upon seeing Link. He then saw the sword when Link pulled it out. "Awesome! Have to say, it looks very nice. Looks better on you than Mido, for sure," he commented with a smirk. Link smirked in return and gave it some practice swings, familiarizing himself with its weight. "Try slicing those logs."

Link looked to where he was pointing and saw three logs sticking out. He gave a horizontal swing, and it cut through it all the way, much to Link's surprise. _'__Wow, this is a rather sharp blade,' _he thought to himself. Trees in this forest have very thick wood. For them to be cut like that was nothing short of impressive, although Link almost didn't slice it through in one as the swing slowed down at the end. He then sliced another with an overhead strike. This time he only cut halfway from the top. Undeterred, Link swung again to completely slice it in two.

"Hey Link, try slicing the third one with a jumping strike. You might slice it in one go," Forenz advised. Link looked at before getting in position to do as suggested. He then took a running step and swung the sword down as hard as he could. The combination of the added force and harder swing completely sliced it in two. "What did I tell, ya," Forenz commented, crossing his arms as if a teacher pleased with his student.

Link then sheathed the blade and bid Forenz farewell as he went to his house to get his other rupees. However, before he left, he reached under his mattress and pulled out some folded scrolls. When Link was growing up, the Great Deku Tree had given them to him as a gift. He called them "Sheikah scrolls" and explained they can magically store objects in it with a spell and can be released by pressing said object with his finger. However, he said to not tell anyone else about it for the time being, saying it was a secret to everybody. It kind of made Link feel special, as he was the only one to receive such a gift. Not even Mido had one. Taking it with him, he headed back outside. As he climbed down the ladder, he got an idea where to find the remaining rupees.

Heading to Saria's house, he found the Kokiri Forenz had mentioned trying to pull the bushes in front of her house with no success. "That meanie, Mido, made me cut the grass at Saria's house. Mido told Saria he would do it so she would like him, but I'm the one doing all the work!" he yelled to himself.

"Here, let me help." He jumped a bit at that, unaware someone was listening nearby. He turned to whomever said that, at first worried it was Mido but then calmed down when he saw it was Link, who immediately had started slicing the bushes apart with a sword. Wait…a sword?

He then realized Link somehow had a _metal_ sword on him, as opposed to a wooden one. 'Did he find the Kokiri Sword? I thought only Mido knew where that was? And does Link have a fairy now?' he thought upon seeing the fairy around Link. However, that thought quickly died as he saw Link make quick work of all nine bushes there, much to his relief. As long as that was done, he didn't care how Link got the sword. "Thanks a million, Link. At least I don't have to worry about that anymore. See you around. You can have those green rupees that were in the bushes as thanks. And congrats on the fairy, too. Take care!" he stated before walking off. Link smiled at the fairy comment and then saw the six green rupees that were left behind from the bushes, each worth one rupee. 'Ok, 36 down, 4 more to go,' he said to himself.

Link walked around, wondering where to find some more rupees and saw a Kokiri in front of Mido's house, struggling to pull some good-sized rocks. Thinking maybe he'll find some under the rocks, he rushed over to help. "Mean old Mido…making me pick up rocks in front of his house." He was about to say more to himself before hearing a voice from his left.

"I'll help," Link replied, startling him a bit before seeing it was Link.

"Really?"

"Sure," he replied with a smile. One thing Link was taught growing up by Saria and even the Great Deku Tree was to be willing to help others when you see someone needing it. Even if they decline the help, one must at least offer to help anyway. Link found himself doing it a lot around the village. Mainly he hoped he would gain acceptance by others in doing so. This resulted in him helping Kokiri with various tasks and chores, even if he spent all day helping others. Many were appreciative of it, though Mido would always take advantage of it whenever he could, sometimes working him extremely hard just to see how long he could go at one time and belittle him if he did something wrong.

"Awesome! I really appreciate it, man."

"It helps when you lift with your knees rather than your back. Something I learned the hard way," Link stated in reply.

Despite being the same size as most Kokiri, Link was quite possibly the strongest Kokiri physically, mainly due to Mido also constantly having him remove those types of rocks as well. Sometimes he deliberately placed them back in front of his house just to get others to remove them again, usually Link. After a few years of doing this as well as other various physical labors, he was actually quite fit with the faintest touch of muscle on him, though one would not usually notice at first glance.

He lifted a rock without too much difficulty and threw them to the side almost casually, the rock breaking on impact. The other Kokiri was a bit in awe at how easily Link did that, ignoring the fact Link now had a fairy with him. That had to have weighed a Kokiri at least. Maybe two! Or three! And Link not only lifted it up but threw it over his head like a soccer ball with almost no effort! Somewhat emboldened by that display, he took to Link's advice and lifted a rock as hard as he could. He struggled a bit, but then finally succeeded in lifting it up to his chest…only for him to fall backwards from the sudden change in momentum, prompting a chuckle from Link. 'Good thing it didn't land on his head,' Link thought to himself as the rock rolled away from him.

After recovering, they continued removing the rest of the rocks. In the process, they did find rupees under some of them as Link had hoped. No one has ever been able to figure out where exactly rupees came from or why they suddenly just appeared like under rocks or in bushes. It was even more confusing when someone could find a rupee or two under a rock or in a set of bushes, only to find a rupee or two in that exact same spot a day later despite no one going near them in that time. So everyone just accepted they just randomly appeared on their own in various places.

Of the nine rocks, Link lifted six while the other lifted three (and also fell down three times lifting each rock). After the last one was removed, they found a total of five rupees that were buried underneath them, four by Link and one by his friend. However, he gave it to Link as thanks. 'Alright, now I have 41,' he said to himself, getting excited and being able to see the Great Deku Tree...and see the look on Mido's face upon seeing the sword and shield.

He then went to a store that rested in front of a small ravine to get his shield, bidding a quick hello to the girl sitting on top of the shop's roof, who was excited at seeing Link finally having a fairy. When he went inside, he could see the shopkeeper was constantly jumping up to see over the counter, stating Mido might have taken his footstool as a prank. Link looked around, hoping a shield was still available when he saw it.

The shield in question was made of a tough, durable wood about 18 inches long, 18 inches wide, and a little over an inch thick. The shield wasn't quite perpendicular— the bottom part bent down to a single point, but the top part of it was a little jagged as opposed to flat, a couple parts sticking out. On the front of it was the Kokiri symbol engraved in red. When turned at a 90 degree angle, the symbol sort of resembled a capital "G," almost a "6," with an extra line extending out the side from the bottom-left of the "G" to about halfway up the curve of the "G."

After paying, he strapped the shield on his back on top of his sword but left room so the hilt of the blade stuck out for an easy draw. After bidding farewell to the shopkeeper, (who gave another positive comment on his new fairy) he headed over back towards the Great Deku Tree…and Mido. 'Show time,' Link thought smugly to himself.

As expected, Mido held a hand out in front in a halting motion when Link approached. "I told you, if you want to pass through here, you should at least equip a sword and shield! Sheesh!…Eh, what's that?!" Mido stated in surprise, causing Link to smirk slightly. He had expected to again halt Link's path but then actually saw what Link was now carrying. "Oh, you have a Deku Shield…And what's THAT?!" Link's smirk widened even more at Mido's reaction to what he saw. "Is that the Kokiri Sword?!"

How the heck did Link find that? Only HE knew where it was, plus there were the automatic boulders blocking one's path to it. And Link got through it!? "GOOD GRIEF!" he shouted in frustration, tapping his foot again. Link somehow got exactly what Mido said he had to get before he could pass, and now he _had_ to let Link through. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Well, even with all that stuff, a wimp is still a wimp, huh?" Link's smirk turned into a frown at that. Even after getting a fairy and all this equipment, Mido still didn't respect him. "I, the great Mido, will never accept you as one of us!" That comment really stung at Link, who now had a sad look on his face. He just wanted to be accepted as a Kokiri, and after all this, hoped Mido would finally do so. Now he just flat out stated he never will, no matter what. Before he could say anything, Mido ranted even further. "Shoot! How did _you_ get to be the favorite of Saria and the Great Deku Tree? Huh?!"

Link blinked in confusion at that last part. Favorite of Saria? And the Great Deku Tree? What did that mean? Sure he may have visited the Great Deku Tree a few times more than any other Kokiri, but did that make him his "favorite?" Link thought everyone was equal…even if sometimes he wasn't always treated as such, but he took it all in stride. And sure, Saria hung out with him more than any other Kokiri, but did that make him her, "favorite?" Link was all sorts of confused, but Mido just walked off grumbling. He watched Mido walk off a bit before deciding to ignore it and continued toward the Great Deku Tree's domain.

As he advanced through the narrow path, Link turned to his fairy. "Hey Navi, I've been meaning to ask. Do you know what the Great Deku Tree wanted to see me for? Is it another Wolfos in the area?" Link's sword skills were superior amongst the Kokiri, even Mido, who was actually pretty good in his own right (though he would say he was better than Link) and so Link was sometimes called to help handle it.

"Not exactly, but I do know it's something really important. He'll be able to explain better once you see him…Watch out!" All of a sudden, three Deku Babas popped up in front of the two, teeth chomping rapidly at them. Most plantlife didn't have a mouth or eyes, but these did and ate anything that came near them. They consisted of a long, flexible stem over 5 feet long and a large blue head vaguely resembling a bulb but with two sets of teeth that opened along the center of the bulb. It also had a pair of eyes somewhat pink in color, allowing it to actually see everything around it. However, though they can move their stem on their own, they were constricted to where their roots grew and so could not walk or chase anyone in any way.

Link instinctively drew his sword and shield when they appeared, staying just out of their range. Link was not unfamiliar with these creatures, having faced some every now and then in parts of the Lost Woods with Saria and other Kokiri. They were not known for their intelligence, and simply struck at anything that got close. Link lured the closest one to attack him with his shield in front of him. The Deku Baba made a "thunk" sound as it impacted against Link's shield. Right after it made contact, Link thrust his sword at its mouth, causing it to shriek and stand upright from the pain. Link then moved forward and slashed the stem, destroying it. He then repeated the process with the other two, and in the process, collected the Deku Sticks they left behind.

Deku Sticks were relatively durable and some Kokiri practiced swinging with them as opposed to a sword. However, they broke over time, forcing them to find new ones. Link then took out the Sheikah Scroll, much to Navi's confusion. He then pressed his finger on an empty square, muttered an incantation, and the Deku Sticks suddenly disappeared in a flash while the square on the Sheikah Scroll now showed an image of the Deku Sticks with a "x3" by it.

"Hey, how did you do that?" Link froze, forgetting that he had a fairy with him. "And what was that piece of paper?" Navi asked.

Link looked at Navi hesitantly, thinking how he should reply. Well, can't keep it a secret from her now. "Well…it's called a Sheikah Scroll. The Great Deku Tree gave it to me a few years ago when he summoned me then. I can basically store solid objects in it, up to a certain limit…he also said not to tell anyone, saying it's a secret to everybody. Not even Saria knows," Link explained.

"I see. That's pretty cool! I did not know such magic existed. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Fairy's promise!" Navi cheerfully responded.

Link gave a smile and nod before turning towards the direction of Great Deku Tree. They soon come into view of said guardian. Navi then flew forward a bit in front of Link as they approached. "Great Deku Tree…I'm back!"

Link was always amazed at how large the Great Deku Tree was every time he saw him. The domain was just barely large enough to contain the massive tree, its roots extending from one end to the other. The domain was over three hundred feet wide , and the Great Deku Tree covered almost the entire length of it. His height was also impressive, at least three hundred feet high with branches extending all over with the leaves making its "hair," blocking most of the sun in the process. A face was on the tree as well, depicting an old but wizened visage on it. Part of the bark resembled eyebrows and what looked to be closed eyes. Below that was a couple parts resembling that of a mustache, completing its wizened look.

"Oh…Navi…Thou hast returned..." the Great Deku Tree replied. For some reason, it didn't sound as confident and strong as Link remembered. It sounded somewhat…pained. Exhausted, even. "Link...Welcome..."

Link gave a bow in respect towards him. "How can I help you, Great Deku Tree?"

"Listen carefully to what I, the Deku Tree, am about to tell thee...Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares..." Link's eyes widened slightly at that. The Great Deku Tree knew he was having nightmares? He knew he was powerful and wise, but didn't think he was _that_ wise. He didn't even tell Saria about his nightmares.

The Great Deku Tree continued. "As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it...Verily, thou hast felt it..." A look of understanding appeared on Link's face…sort of. So that means he was…sensitive to whatever was happening?

"Link..." he continued, getting Link's attention again. "The time has come to test thy courage...I have been cursed..." Link gasped in shock at hearing this. The Great Deku Tree…cursed? How? Is that why Deku Babas were suddenly appearing?

"I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. If this curse is not broken soon, it could spread across the forest…Dost thou have courage enough to undertake this task?" Link was silent for a bit as he processed what he had been told. The Great Deku Tree had been cursed, and he asked _him_. _Link_, to break it. Link turned his head to the side in contemplation. Whatever it was that cursed the guardian of the forest must be something big. But…if he can't break the curse himself, how can Link do what the Great Deku Tree cannot?

Still…Link has never been one to run away when someone was in trouble. Granted, this was no ordinary situation compared to Deku Babas or Wolfos. This was the Great Deku Tree. The most powerful being in the forest. Maybe the world. But, still…he was in trouble, and Link promised to himself that if there was anything he could do to help someone, he would do it…no matter what.

A determined look then adorned his face and nodded in reply. "Then enter, brave Link," as what appeared to be its mouth opened up, extending from the ground to his 'mustache,' "and thou too, Navi...Navi the fairy...Thou must aid Link...And Link, when Navi speaks, listen well to her words of wisdom..."

"I will," Link said as he and Navi shared a look and nodded to each other before proceeding forward. As Link got close to the Great Deku Tree, he cautiously peeked his head in, looking around a bit. Taking a deep breath, he slowly entered inside, his fairy right beside him.

* * *

**A/N: And so another chapter done. I've been debating with myself on how much dialogue to give Link throughout this story. Should I have him talk normal just as anyone else would? Or have Navi do most of the talking for Link? What do you think sounds better?**

**Again, I tried to keep the dialogue the same as shown in the game with only minor adjustments at most.**

**I also hope the explanation for Link's strength was reasonable. Seriously, rocks that size are heavy in real life, and for Link to lift _and_ throw them over his head with ease would require a lot of weightlifting of some kind, especially with the arms and upper body. Again, I try to keep my stories as close to real life physics when I can.**

**So now that Link is fully equipped, he learns the Great Deku Tree is cursed and has been tasked to break it for him. To do so requires entering the Great Deku Tree himself. What perils await Link and Navi inside?**

**Find out next time!**

**For now, this is Agent Ghost-Writer signing off.**


End file.
